AUBURN, Ala. – They’ve had a few days to enjoy sand, sun and the Pacific Ocean, now it’s time for a top 5 matchup: No. 4 Auburn vs. No. 5 Iowa State, the first of three games in three days in the Maui Invitational.
Depending on Monday night’s results, Auburn will play either No. 10 North Carolina or Dayton Tuesday evening. No. 2 UConn, Memphis, Colorado and Michigan State are in the other bracket. There’s a scenario in which the Tigers could play three top 10 teams in fewer than 48 hours.
“We have a chance to play three great teams on a neutral site and really find out where we’re at,” Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said, “but also potentially help our NCAA Tournament resume if we can be competitive.
“I’m looking at it as one game at a time. What would constitute a successful trip? We’d love to play great basketball against the best teams in the country.”
Always eager to represent the Southeastern Conference well on national stages, Pearl pointed out that only two then-current SEC members (Kentucky and Vanderbilt) have won this tournament, a fraction of the success enjoyed by Big Ten and ACC programs.
“That tells you how hard it is to win,” Pearl said.
The fifth-ranked Cyclones have won their first three games, all at home, by an average of 33 points.
“Iowa State is a great defensive team,” Pearl said. “Defensively, they’re as good as anybody analytically. They force turnovers and they’ve got two of the best defensive guards in the country.
“They have elite transition finishers. They get numbers and they’re going downhill. Those are going to be a couple of our greatest challenges, but we’re excited about the opportunity.”
Hoops in Hawaii will prepare the Tigers for nets in Nashville, a taste of playing daily as they hope to in the SEC Tournament, a challenge Auburn’s 11-player rotation could help navigate.
“One thing that should serve us well is our depth,” Pearl said. “I know our coaches will have great preparations. Our depth should continue to help us.”
Auburn (4-0) and Iowa State (3-0) tip off Monday at 8 p.m. CT on ESPNU. Andy Burcham and Randall Dickey will describe the action on the Auburn Sports Network.
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on X: @jeff_shearer